08/24/2026
🏛️ Museum Monday – Bennington No. 1 Gresham School Celebration 🏛️
Join us this Friday, August 28, 2026 from 4:00–6:00 PM to celebrate a special milestone in the history of the Bennington No. 1 Gresham School!
Exactly 140 years ago, on August 28, 1886, the Bennington Township School Board met at the newly constructed schoolhouse. Board member N. B. Choate made a motion “that the school house built by Elon St. John be accepted.”* The motion carried, and the school was put into service for the 1886–87 school year.
It seems only fitting that 140 years later—to the very day—we gather to celebrate that same schoolhouse.
Elon St. John’s bid to construct the school was $568. The building replaced an earlier schoolhouse at East Gresham and North Raymond Roads that had fallen into disrepair. For nearly a decade, school board minutes documented discussions about repairing the old building or replacing it.
In March 1885, the board voted that “a tax by levied sufficient for the er****on of a school house size 22 ft by 36 ft in said sub-district.”* In June 1886, the old school was sold to board member Martin Stark for $23.50*, and he was given just one week to move it so construction could begin.
Today, 140 years later, the 1886 schoolhouse has been moved to its new home and is once again ready to welcome the community!
🎉 Join us at 4:00 PM this Friday for a short dedication program highlighting the school’s history, followed by root beer floats for everyone! The school will remain open for visitors until 6:00 PM for visitors to explore.
*Information above comes from the original Bennington Township School Board ledger, which will be on display at the celebration.
🏫 Explore the Bennington No. 1 exhibit in our online museum:
https://dunkertonhistory.catalogaccess.com/exhibits/13
Additional photographs, documents, and artifacts will continue to be added to the exhibit in the coming months.
❤️ Support the Dunkerton Historical & Tourism Association:
https://dunkertonhistory.com/ols/all
